{"id":662897,"date":"2026-04-04T15:03:18","date_gmt":"2026-04-04T15:03:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/662897\/"},"modified":"2026-04-04T15:03:18","modified_gmt":"2026-04-04T15:03:18","slug":"padres-manager-stammen-leans-into-learning-curve-after-pitching-decisions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/662897\/","title":{"rendered":"Padres Manager Stammen Leans Into Learning Curve After Pitching Decisions"},"content":{"rendered":"

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. \u203a<\/a><\/p>\n

\"APadres manager Stammen navigates the challenges of in-game decision-making, while Cronenworth’s defensive adjustments pay off with highlight-reel plays.San Diego Today<\/p>\n

Rookie Padres manager Craig Stammen is navigating the challenges of in-game pitching decisions, acknowledging his tendency to want to leave pitchers in the game longer than he should. Stammen is keeping a journal to reflect on his decision-making process and learn from his experiences. Meanwhile, Padres second baseman Jake Cronenworth has made adjustments to his defensive positioning that have led to several impressive plays early in the season.<\/p>\n

Why it matters<\/p>\n

As a first-time manager, Stammen’s ability to make effective pitching changes will be crucial to the Padres’ success. Cronenworth’s defensive improvements could also have a significant impact, as the team looks to build on last season’s 90-win campaign despite a slow start at the plate.<\/p>\n

The details<\/p>\n

In the Padres’ 5-2 loss to the Red Sox, Stammen pulled starter Michael King after 5\u2154 innings and 81 pitches, bringing in lefty Wandy Peralta who promptly gave up a three-run home run. Stammen acknowledged his tendency to want to leave pitchers in the game longer, a challenge he is working to overcome through self-reflection and discussions with his coaching staff. Cronenworth, meanwhile, has made an adjustment to his defensive ready position, standing more upright with a small hop before the pitch, which he believes has improved his first step and explosiveness.<\/p>\n

On April 4, 2026, the Padres lost 5-2 to the Red Sox.Cronenworth made the defensive adjustment to his ready position during the offseason while working with new infield coach Ryan Goins.<\/p>\n

The players<\/p>\n

Craig Stammen<\/p>\n

The rookie manager of the San Diego Padres, who is navigating the challenges of in-game pitching decisions in his first season.<\/p>\n

Jake Cronenworth<\/p>\n

The Padres’ starting second baseman, who has made an adjustment to his defensive ready position that has led to several impressive plays early in the season.<\/p>\n

Michael King<\/p>\n

The Padres’ starting pitcher who was pulled by Stammen in the sixth inning of the April 4 game against the Red Sox.<\/p>\n

Wandy Peralta<\/p>\n

The Padres’ relief pitcher who gave up a three-run home run after being brought in to replace King.<\/p>\n

Ryan Goins<\/p>\n

The Padres’ new infield coach, who introduced the defensive ready position adjustment to Cronenworth during the offseason.<\/p>\n

Got photos? Submit your photos here. \u203a<\/a>
\n What they\u2019re saying<\/p>\n

\u201cHow I personally feel is ‘Leave me out there. Let me figure this out on my own. I got this. I can do it.’ And as a manager, you’ve just got to be, you know, the other side of the coin of ‘No. I want you to have success. I think you’ll have better success if I take you out of the game and have somebody else go in.’\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Craig Stammen, Padres Manager<\/p>\n

\u201cGuys are hitting the ball hard. It just seems like it’s going right at guys right now, whether it’s those one hop line drives on the infield or line drives right at the outfielders. Making really good swing decisions. Got a good plan. It’s just not going for us right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Jake Cronenworth, Padres Second Baseman<\/p>\n

\u201cI threw a couple bad pitches that I wish I executed a little better, and I … could have gone deeper in the game and (allowed) less runs.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Michael King, Padres Pitcher<\/p>\n

\u201cI mean, it was just incredible. I thought it was for sure just a single up the middle. And then Jake came out of nowhere and made it a double play.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Michael King, Padres Pitcher<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s something I saw with all of the guys. They were just very stuck, I guess you would say. They were all, like, just super wide and just kind of bent down. I’ve tried to get them more engaged, where they’re walking around more. The biggest thing we talked about was we have to have downward momentum as the ball is being hit. You don’t want it too early. Right when the ball is being hit, you should be in the air, so that once the ball is actually put into play and it’s heading in your direction, you’re springing off the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Ryan Goins, Padres Infield Coach<\/p>\n

What\u2019s next<\/p>\n

The judge in the case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow Walker Reed Quinn out on bail.<\/p>\n

The takeaway<\/p>\n

This case highlights growing concerns in the community about repeat offenders released on bail, raising questions about bail reform, public safety on SF streets, and if any special laws to govern autonomous vehicles in residential and commercial areas.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Got story updates? Submit your updates here. \u203a Padres manager Stammen navigates the challenges of in-game decision-making, while…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":662898,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2407],"tags":[5,4,43,137,18,4339,4338],"class_list":{"0":"post-662897","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-diego-padres","8":"tag-baseball","9":"tag-mlb","10":"tag-padres","11":"tag-san-diego","12":"tag-san-diego-padres","13":"tag-sandiego","14":"tag-sandiegopadres"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116347052057955961","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/662897","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=662897"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/662897\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/662898"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=662897"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=662897"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=662897"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}